The Long Escape to Blodgett Canyon Waterfalls

By Brenna Moore, 6-04-06

	Caption: Above: A small waterfall trickles down from the top of Romney Ridge. Below: Blodgett Creek snakes along the bottom of Blodgett Canyon near Hamilton. Photos by Brenna Moore

Last Wednesday, my friends and I decided to take a little camping trip to Blodgett Camp and go for a day hike to the waterfalls in Blodgett Canyon. I took the opportunity as the perfect trip to launch the first entry of my summer travel column. So I packed my sleeping bag, a mat, a change of clothes, my fold up chair and some food to munch on after the hike and put it all in my friend's car. I had never done this hike before, but before I launch into my own experience, I would like to preface by saying that if you are looking for a leisurely, short hike that only takes a couple of hours out of your day, this hike is not for you. But, if a gorgeous but challenging day hike is what you're after, then head on up to Blodgett Canyon. The hiking distance is about 3.5 miles each way, making it a 7-mile round trip hike. The trail is well maintained, the elevation isn't too strenuous and the scenery is magnificent. My group did the hike in about five hours, but we traveled beyond the first waterfall to the second, which added about 30 or 40 minutes to the hike.

After about an hour of blasting music and trying to relax in the overstuffed car, the four of us arrived at our destintation. We took the things we needed for the hike out of the car but decided not to unpack anything else until we returned. With my skin reeking of suncreen and bugspray and my hair covered up by a baseball cap, I was ready to begin the trek to the falls. (I just want to stress the importance of using sunscreen and bugspray when hiking in the woods. My friends and I had heard countless tales of people getting ticks when taking this hike, so we were a bit paranoid about using a ton of bugspray. And, even though the majority of the hike is under thick trees that provide a lot of shade, it's still very easy to get sunburned. One of my friends didn't use any sunscreen and after the hike, the color of her shoulders and back resembled that of an overly-ripe tomato.) I didn't know it yet, but not long into the hike, I was chastising myself for wearing my regular tennis shoes and not my hiking boots. If you have them, wear them on this hike. You'll be glad you did. You might also want to bring a camera. The scenery is awesome and I took well over 30 pictures on my hike.

So, we were off. We left the car and headed across the parking area to the south side of Blodgett Creek to where the trail begins on the right. The trail starts out wide, and the four of us were able to walk in twos for a few minutes. The air smelled wonderfully of the outdoors—that crisp, clean scent that can only be found in true nature. As the trail began to narrow, the four of us were reduced to a single-file line, but I found that I noticed the spectrum of flowers that sprinkled the ground much better when the trail narrowed. In the first part of the hike, the trail is shrouded by the dense trees, but after a short while it opens to reveal the enormous, jagged peaks of Printz Ridge to the north and the Romney Ridge to the south. The sight was breathtaking, frankly, and a good part of the hike is spent hiking along the base of Printz Ridge, the peaks of which stretch 4,000 feet to the sky. The pictures I took of this view do not even come close to how the mountains look when you're standing in front of them, and I think this sight alone is enough to make the journey to Blodgett Canyon.

The trail continues to rise and fall, and snakes closer to Blodgett Creek the farther along the trail you get. A few times during the hike, the trail comes right up to the edge of the creek, (which, in my opinion, is a lot bigger than a creek), and the rushing water has a calming effect and comes at the perfect time—I was beginning to get a little bit tired at this point. The creek continues to course through the canyon, changing from foaming, whitewater cascades to wide, calm and clear pools. About two miles into the hike, you will come to spots where there are several boulders to cross over. This was the part of the hike that I desperately wanted my hiking boots, as my feet kept getting stuck in between the rocks and after a while, my ankles really hurt from being twisted and turned in so many directions. Also, the creek manages to find its way right to the trail, so that you are hiking through shallow pools of water and tiny streams that run right down the trail. It took a great amount of effort to hop from one dry rock to the next in hopes of avoided soaking my tennis shoes, so this is another reason to sport those wonderful hiking boots.

Two and a half miles into the hike, you will come to a well-built bridge that crosses over Blodgett Creek. My group stopped and rested here for while, taking in our beautiful surroundings. When you arrive here, there is an interesting landmark to observe. Start by standing on the bridge and facing the direction you were hiking. Now, turn around and look up to the peaks in front of you and a bit to the right. You will notice a peculiar shaped rock that resembles a giraffe. Ironically, the marker is called Giraffe Rock. I thought that was quite clever.

When you're done resting and feel ready to venture on, the first waterfall is about a mile further along the trail. The brush and plants begin to thicken as you leave the bridge, and one of my hiking companions advised me to try and not brush right up against the wildgrass and shrubs, as this is where ticks wait to leap on you as you pass by (again, we were very paranoid about ticks, and with good reason... they are so disgusting and can make you really sick). As you keep hiking, you will begin to hear the pounding of the waterfall in the distance and if you keep making your way through the greenery and over the wet trail, you will finally come to a steep climb that will bring you to the top of several humongous boulders, and to the top of the waterfall.

When my group arrived, we climbed down to the edge of the rocks so that we were perched on a ledge to the immediate right of the coursing water. I love to just sit by a waterfall, feeling the mist of its spray lightly touch my skin and breathe the cold air into my nostrils. There are few things that top the freedom I feel by listening to and watching the tumbling water rush over the smooth rocks and pummel the rocks below.

We wanted to hike up to the second waterfall before heading back, so we finished eating our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, rested a bit longer and then ventured out on the trail once more. The hike to the second falls only takes a short while, and it is well worth it. It's more visable than the first, because it's right in front of you, and the hike there isn't too exhausting. Although, I have to admit I was pretty dang tired by then. I am not a super avid hiker.

Once you think you've seen all you can see and taken in all you can, just turn around and follow the same trail back to the campground. By the end of the hike, my arches and ankles were killing me, but I have to say that it was definitely worth it. I read in some hiking guide books that the trail winds nearly twenty miles up the canyon to Blodgett Lake, so it would also be a great place to backpack and camp along the way. But if you wanted to turn the waterfall hike into a camping trip like my group did, Blodgett Camp has excellent places to set up camp right by the river, where it's very quiet and peaceful.

Driving directions: From Missoula, drive 43 miles south on Highway 93 to the town of Hamilton. Turn right on Main Street and drive 1.2 miles west to Ricketts Road on the right. Turn right and continue 0.5 miles Blodgett Camp Road and turn left. Continue 2.4 miles to a junction with Road 736. Turn right and drive 1.5 miles to the Blodgett Creek traihead parking area at the road's end.

Hiking directions: From the parking area, walk back along the road, crossing to the south side of Blodgett Creek and to the trailhead on the right. There are gentle rises, falls and boulder field crossings along the trail. At 2.5 miles, the trail crosses a sturdy bridge over Blodgett Creek. Continue heading west as the trail levels out and the canyon widens. One mile past the bridge, the trail makes a short ascent to the waterfall. House-sized boulders can be used to sit on and have a picnic. Return along the same trail.

(Directions taken from "Day Hikes Around Missoula Montana" by Robert Stone) [End of article]